Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

This is a discussion on Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods within Gadgets, Computers & Software, part of the Shifting gears category; Originally Posted by bhp_maniac
This stands true if you intend keeping your phone so long. However all Motorola models in ...

This stands true if you intend keeping your phone so long. However all Motorola models in India are global models and I don't think there will be an issue of part availability. Peace of mind is a personal thing IMO. Am on my 4th smartphone at this moment and only one of them had a manufacturer Warranty

Yeah, obviously we're not going to keep the same phone for a very long time. I was only talking about investing anything new when a company is already thinking of shutting down. Yeah, I haven't had to take my phones either to the service - be safe than sorry! ;-)

And most imprortantly, I love the feeling of being always connected and getting the exact distance before the next deviation for every instant of time, while on the go. And this can be made possible only with a system that doesn't depend on online data.

Not a practical and hassle free solution. I would rather go for the hassle free nature of offline maps and use google maps only when there is a real requirement for detail.

Amalji, while I do agree that sometimes steady net connection can be a problem, I have never faced an issue with GMaps so far. I use the GMaps navigation in all my trips and the data usage is not that bad.
For example, a trip from Angamaly to Calicut only consumed around 18MB or so.

Like clevermax said, ensure the satellite,traffic and all other layers are turned off.

1) Used navfree with gps full time with the phone plugged into the car charger. The charge was 15% higher than what it started with after a 1.5 hour trip. And I'm on galaxy note.

navfree = completely free application without any hidden cost. And is more near to a navigation device than the google maps. Once, used to the reliability and 0 connection breaks in an offline GPS device ( mapmyindia ), google maps online navigation always felt inferior to me, especially for long trips ( when I'm the driver ).

So decided to give Navfree a try. I am coming from Google Maps.

Installed the Free app, and started downloading the India Map - I laughed when I saw that that whole India map is 150MB only. This itself gave me an idea about the level of detail one can expect out of this thing.

After installing, I just browsed the map to some of the recent locations that I have successfully driven to, with the help of Google Maps Navigation. First I tried with some rural areas. The below screenshots will give everyone an idea how Navfree maps looks compared to Google Maps in these places - NavFree is outright useless when it comes to Navigation to a local road out of the highways. In many cases, your destination will be in these kind of roads and Navfree will not even show you such roads.

This was funny - NavFree thinks that this populated area near Pala is a desert With GMaps navigation, I could drive to a relative's place there so easily.

Again, many local roads missing.

Coming to city areas, I was expecting something better than riral maps in Navfree, and it turned out to be a joke. See below an area in Cochin City - Navfree is simply missing hundreds of roads even in this smaller area.

The level of detail Google Maps is having is simply light years ahead of this thing. What is the use of having an offline maps with only major roads, when you want it to navigate you to some specific destination? It is just missing roads in Kerala itself by a magnitude crossing ten-thousands I believe.

I wasn't able to pinch zoom the map in Navfree, & overall usability is much worse than Google Maps. For finding a lot of places, you have to use the Google search option in that map.

I am yet to try real navigation with it, will post the experience later, which I am sure will be disappointing compared to GMaps.

Google Maps Offline is just failing for me since the day that they made it available here, and I installed the official version. Every time I download, when I come to use it it says there is a problem. Yes, I've tryed clearing the data; I'm trying again now.

I'm planning to buy another android, most probably finalising the Xperia U which is available for 10k with coupons on eBay with dealer warranty. Now, does anyone here have an idea as to what could be the reason for not giving official warranty? Are these smuggled pieces?

Installed the Free app, and started downloading the India Map - I laughed when I saw that that whole India map is 150MB only. This itself gave me an idea about the level of detail one can expect out of this thing.

Coming to city areas, I was expecting something better than riral maps in Navfree, and it turned out to be a joke. See below an area in Cochin City - Navfree is simply missing hundreds of roads even in this smaller area.

I wasn't able to pinch zoom the map in Navfree, & overall usability is much worse than Google Maps. For finding a lot of places, you have to use the Google search option in that map.

I am yet to try real navigation with it, will post the experience later, which I am sure will be disappointing compared to GMaps.

1) I always told you that detail is not what is the best feature on an offline navigation. That's the case, even on paid devices like mapmyindia. If the level of detail is the most important criteria, this will be the order.

Googlemaps
Sygic/mapmyindia
navfree

But, that level of detail is of no use, if the map hangs midway during a drive. It changes the focus of the driver and even creates more confusions than having to ask someone and take a route.

Any GPS will be of use to anyone depending on the way you use it.

I'll explain my method of using GPS.

1) I use GPS while driving to long destinations ( not to visit my relative 5 or 20 kms away )
2) For minute detail after reaching the main town/city, I ask humans on the road or I use google maps.

For instance, I need to visit someone in Vellore. I wouldn't go for street level detail on the GPS. I would rather put Vellore on the GPS. And navfree ( or any offline GPS ) can take me till there hassle free. Hassle free is the most important word here. You can travel those 500 odd kms without a single interruption in maps. You are always kept up to date about when to take the next turn. I do not have to depend upon my gprs, edge, roaming, the data traffic or the reliability of the tower. I'm always shown the most accurate location. That feeling is the most comforting part in an offline GPS.

If only, google maps had a more intelligent way of downloading the offline maps, I would have relied on it. But, unfortunately that's not the case. You are forced to download areas which you don't want and more often than not, when you need the maps, the download stops midway and it doesn't even provide a basic feature like resume support. The problem with google maps is never about the detail. But, in it being non-practical.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Google Maps Offline is just failing for me since the day that they made it available here, and I installed the official version. Every time I download, when I come to use it it says there is a problem. Yes, I've tryed clearing the data; I'm trying again now.

It's the same for me. I gave up after a few tries. It's surprising why the best internet technology company couldn't make such a basic thing work! Another app made by google that misses on the basics is google wallet. The options given for a user is so limited! Very surprising because they are the same company that maintains high quality products like gmail, android and google search.

Last edited by Technocrat : 30th November 2012 at 03:02.
Reason: Please avoid quoting a whole large post, instead quote selectively, this is for the benefit of our mobile readers, thanks

1) I use GPS while driving to long destinations ( not to visit my relative 5 or 20 kms away )
2) For minute detail after reaching the main town/city, I ask humans on the road or I use google maps.

That's fine: you have made your usage fit with the limitation of the system[s] which is the intelligent thing to do, but it does not justify the limitations. It doesn't justify limitations in software/data from Sygic, because we've paid for it, and it doesn't justify the limitations in Google, because, albeit free, it comes from what is possibly the greatest centre of supposed expertise in the field. But we have to live with the way things are right now, and it's a good way to do that.

I do use GPS to visit people 10 or 20 km away. Although I know my city layout roughly, and my regular areas very well, a new place or a new route means never being more than a wrong turning or two away from being lost. I bought Sygic because Google crashed on me, on such a journey, exactly at the point that I entered unkown roads . And it is more stable, but not so accurate.

I'm ashamed to say that I have been completely lost within 5km of home --- at night, in an unfamiliar, illogically-connected group of streets. Turning on the GPS told me where I was, and how to negotiate the maze to get out of it, and I needed detail for that. Actually, that was on my Nokia phone, and I still think the free Nokia app was pretty good. Apparently they are extending it to other systems. (I didn't ask because it was 2.00am in a residential area and the streets were deserted!)

I'm glad I'm not the only one to be find Google's offline mapping failing, but sorry you are having the problem too.

Completely agree. I cannot find any logical reason why they do not provide other sensible options for map download. They could have cached the map in a much better way than what they are doing right now.

Maybe, they always want us to depend on the online content. Making everything so easily available offline takes the control out of google.